1. Field of the Invention
This invention generally pertains to hockey equipment drying racks. Specifically, this invention pertains to a drying rack that remains in and is integral with a hockey equipment bag. The drying rack structure includes a plurality of rotatable arms that various items of hockey equipment are attached to. These arms rotate to collapse cooperatively in a closed hockey equipment bag. Upon opening of the hockey equipment bag, the arms with all the associated hockey equipment can be rotated to an essentially vertical position, thereby placing all of the equipment in the open air for drying.
2. Description of the Prior Art
It is well known that hockey equipment becomes wet with perspiration and ice during a hockey game. Hockey equipment includes gloves, a helmet, shoulder pads, elbow pads, skates, shin guards and other clothing. Football and other sports equipment are also subject to becoming wet for similar reasons in addition to the possibility of rain during a game. Hockey games are played frequently every day or every other day with practices in between. This allows only a short time to dry the equipment between uses and between those times when the equipment is to be washed. Whether at home or at a motel when games are scheduled away from home, hockey equipment can be strewn on the floor, or over a chair, table or bed and left to dry in a haphazard manner, with layers and folds in the clothing further complicating the drying process. If the hockey equipment is not dried thoroughly after becoming wet, the possibility of mold and mildew forming on the equipment increases with time. Unpleasant odors would also accompany this condition.
An efficient way to dry hockey equipment is to use a drying rack which spreads the equipment out into the open air for the fastest drying times. Several drying racks are available for the purpose of drying hockey equipment, but they require that the equipment be removed from the equipment bag and hung on the drying rack. After drying, the equipment is returned to the equipment bag creating the possibility that an item can be misplaced or lost during those two transfers. The available drying racks often do not provide enough space between equipment items to provide sufficient air circulation from all sides of each piece to maximize drying efficiency. Also, items that eventually have to be laundered are removed from the bag possibly leaving the rest of the equipment in the bag in its wet state. The possibility of mold and mildew, along with the accompanying odors, could grow on the rest of the equipment. In addition, the bag itself could require cleaning.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,591,994 to Bearss discloses a hockey equipment drying rack consisting of two intersecting panels. Equipment must be removed from the equipment bag and hung on apertures on the panels. The panels would inhibit the airflow, thereby slowing down drying times. Equipment could be misplaced during the transfer from the equipment bag to the drying rack and back again. U.S. Pat. No. 6,263,591 to La Porte discloses an equipment drying container with heating elements and drying fans to dry sports equipment. It is not a drying rack, but instead a heated forced air dryer. U.S. Pat. No. 6,138,841 to Klein, et al. discloses a storage rack for sports equipment, not an equipment drying rack. That storage rack is designed to hang on a door or a wall which would provide poor air circulation if one were to try to use this rack as a drying rack. U.S. Pat. No. 6,073,783 to Allman discloses a free standing athletic equipment drying rack. Equipment must be removed from the equipment bag to be placed on the drying rack and returned to the equipment bag after drying possibly causing misplaced equipment. U.S. Pat. No. 5,906,277 to Vienneau discloses a sports gear bag for storing sports gear. Although this bag includes a plurality of apertures to permit air circulation, the drying efficiency is greatly reduced because the sports gear is still housed inside the bag and the lack of a more spread out method of storage encourages folds and layers in the sports gear further limiting drying capability. U.S. Pat. No. 5,377,849 to Martin discloses a free standing sports equipment rack that requires that the equipment be removed from the equipment bag to be dried. It is possible to misplace equipment when removed and returned to the equipment bag.
Accordingly, the need exists for an equipment drying rack integral with the hockey equipment bag itself, capable of exposing all of the hockey gear to open air for drying. In this way, no hockey equipment would have to be removed from and replaced to the bag for drying. Further, any equipment removed from any of the arms of the rack would be immediately obvious thereby providing the additional advantage of inventory control over the hockey equipment. The arms of this drying rack can be modified for football or other sports equipment.